0078 // Sebastian Camens

It's hard to believe that Calum Gunn's Conditional imprint has been running for less than two years. In that time, the label have produced a flurry of impressive releases. From Ewa Justka's Efhksjerfbeskj to rkss' Brostep in the Style of Florian Hecker, Conditional specialise in championing stripped-back, abstract synth-noise for cassette. Their aesthetic carries part of that bedroom DIY fun that any good electronic music should have. Experimentation without the chin-stroking, or IDM without the fanfare.

Their latest release, Tan Object, comes from Sebastian Camens, a name which may sound familiar from the very first Conditional release, Slant Deviations. On Tan Object, Camens takes a synth patch as far as it will go. Over 47 minutes, every nook and cranny of a fuzzy waveform is scrutinised. You come to intimately know its contours; its limits; its deficiencies. It's like Object-Oriented Ontology for fans of Vangelis. Such an approach to music captures what John Cage deemed as the true essence of minimalism: “Simultaneously, the attentive listener is struck by the simplicity of action and by the complexity of the sound”.

Unlike the sustained monolith of Tan Object, Camen's mix for us is a dizzying, whistle-stop tour of his influences on this record. Take a look at the towering 90-piece tracklist below, which looks (and sounds) more like a Plunderphonic workout than any mix I've heard lately. Find breakbeat, rave, noise, gabba and abrasive synths of death. It's like flicking through the scattered iTunes library of a obsessive historian of extremist computer music. Ideal for those easily distracted.

Tracklist:

Russell Haswell - always check their instagram
Interface - Toytown (Mix 1)
English Muffin - The Blood of an English Muffin
Interface - Toytown (Mix 1)
DJ Skull - Circuit Breaker
Emmanuel Top - Acid Phase
Tronik House - Spark Plug (Detroit Mix)
Hardfloor - Once Again Back (Floor Mix)
HM - Real Life
Joey Beltram - Ball Park (Original Mix)
Black Knight - Kick up the Volume (Play it Loud)
X-101 - Sonic Destroyer
Legend B - Lost In Love
Mike Dearborn - Battle
Lost - Ten Commandments
Lorenzo Senni - EVOLVER
WAP55 - K Hand - Global Warning 12 Neoliberal Madness Offering IV
Undercover Elephant & DJ Secret Squirrel - Fresh Vegetable B2
Spokesman - Acid Creak
Sebastian Camens - x6
Evol ‎– Wormhole Shubz
Franky Jones & DJ Bountyhunter - Speed Area (Megarave Mix)
Equation - Energy Buzz
Mo LesterBlue Sky Day Rave Classic
Noise Factory - The Fire
Krome Time - This Sound Is For The Underground (E5 Remix)
Dj Doc Scott - The Terminator
Dj Isaac - Bad Dreams (remix)
Knight Phantom - Frequency Response
Tango Ratty - Final Conflict (Original Mix)
Son of God - Sunday Raver
Tic Tac Toe - Ephemerol (Mickey Finn Fabio Grooverider Remix)
ACEN - Close Your Eyes (Optikonfusion!) (Remix I)
Bodylotion - Happy Is Voor HoboS
Cybernetic Empire - Equinox
M-D-Emm - Get Down (Fantasy UFO Mix)
Vibes Wishdokta - No More Tears
Tango And Fallout -- Further Intrigue
A.E.K - Paradise
Satin Storm - Let's Get Together
Bass Selective - Jessicas Jaw
Black Knight - Kick Up The Volume Play It Loud
Citadel Of Kaos - Serchin' 4 Gold
Human Resource - Dominator
DJ Seduction - Can You Feel It
DMS - Vengeance
DJ Distroi & Boykz - Let Me See If You Can Dance
Bodylotion II - Make You Dance
Tango - Can't Stop The Rush (Remix)
DJ DD Hass + X 10 CIV - Hi Tec Muuusic
Ace the Space - 9 Is A Classic (Castro/Space - Ultimate Rave Rmx)
Nasty Django - Ey Loco!
Hedgehog AffairOh Wow What A Rush
The Ultimate Seduction - A Walking Nightmare
Warped Kore - The Power
Sperminator - No Woman Allowed
Economix - Panic
DJ Red Alert & Mike Slammer - In Effect
Coolhand Flex - Complete Control
The Men From Del Bosca - Bajo-El-Austral
Neon - Waves (Techno Mix)
Dread - Quantum Leap
Pleasure Game ‎- Le Seigneur Des Ténèbres (Destructor Mix)
Pleasure Game - Le Seigneur Des Ténèbres (Terminator Mix)
The Ragga Twins - Mixed Truth
Underground Software - Different Ting
Holy Noise - The Nightmare (Power Mix)
Tango - Factor 5
Beat Bites Bit - Exorzist - The First Chapter (Cruzifix Mix)
Asmo - Rush The Dance
Marvellous - Blind Date (Fuck Your Blind Date In The Alley Mix)
Nebula II - Atheama
3 Rude Bwoy - Every Body E
Underground Software - Electronic Pig
Rhythm Section - Perfect Love 2am
Aurora - Spectral Bass
Force Mass Motion - Jack Of Diamonds
Short Circuit - Fuck Me
Brainstorm - Sams Vision
Dyewitness - Observing The Earth
DJ Distroi Boykz - Come With It Bad Boy
Ace The Space – 1 Gun - 2 Gun - 3 Gun - Roar!
2 Low 4 Zero - Fast (De Kuip-Hardcore Mix)
Economix EP - Equake
Agent Orange - Sounds A Bit Flakey (Jungle Mix)
The Criminal Minds - Re-Baptised By Dub (Selector's Revenge)
Object One - Ping Pong
DJ Metal X - Nervous Breakdown
Patiño - Strategies On Self-Promotion And Autoreferentiality
Russell Haswell - Acid nO!se

• Published
• Aug 20, 2017

• Credits
• Words by Georgie_McVicar